Kraken the Ice: Seattle Nipped By NHL Lottery Curse… Again
Once again getting the short side of the lottery stick, the Kraken didn't get a top-five pick as hoped coming off a disappointing finish to the 2025-26 season that ended without a playoff berth.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee examines Seattle's latest misfortune landing on the wrong side of the lottery ticket, takes a first look at possible targets the Kraken may consider with the first of two first round selections, and breaks down the upcoming offseason NHL calendar and how it pertains to Seattle.
Kraken Receive No. 7 Pick in 2026 NHL Draft Lottery: What Now?
The NHL lottery for draft picks 1 through 16 took place on Tuesday night, ahead of the draft on June 26 and 27. The Seattle Kraken entered the lottery sixth in line, with a 7.5% chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick with an average projected draft position of 5.9.
For yet another season, Seattle got the short end of the lottery. The Toronto Maple Leafs nabbed the top pick, followed by the Sharks getting second overall. Seattle did not hear their name called until No. 7. They will pick seventh, which is one spot higher than their slot last year when they selected Jake O'Brien.
Picking seventh means for another season, they are picking lower than their initial position in the final standings. However, this will actually be Seattle’s highest draft pick since taking Shane Wright fourth overall in 2022.
Three Moves Kraken Can Make to Gain Momentum This Offseason
The Seattle Kraken just finished their fifth season in franchise history. For the third straight year, and fourth time in these five seasons, they missed the playoffs. Ron Francis has stepped down as president. Lane Lambert, as of now, remains the head coach.
This franchise needs some changes. They need some juice. They certainly need some offense. As a franchise stuck in the mud, it’s time to shake things up. Here are three moves the Kraken should make to reignite excitement among the fanbase.
3 Takeaways From Kraken Management’s Season-Ending Press Conference
The Seattle Kraken hosted a season-ending press conference with general manager Jason Botterill and CEO Tod Leiweke at Kraken Community Iceplex on Wednesday.
What were some of the biggest takeaways that provided a glimpse into how the team will operate over the offseason and beyond?
Kraken the Ice: Seattle Ends Disappointing Season With a Thud, What Now?
After being eliminated from the playoffs with a week to play, the Kraken closed out their season without much of a whimper with losses to the Golden Knights and Avalanche, capping off a disastrous post-Olympics finish.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee reads Seattle's eulogy after an up-and-down season, diving into the obvious low points while also revisiting a few positives that developed in the 2025-26 season, and takes a look at where Seattle must go this offseason to revive a possible contender or completely clean house.
Kraken Lament Collapse, Missed Opportunities at Year-End Exit Interviews
One month ago, the Seattle Kraken sat in a playoff spot, and after making an addition at the trade deadline on March 6, felt confident about their chances to compete in April.
“I think we have good depth throughout our lineup,” general manager Jason Botterill said following the deadline. “And this is a team that went through a tough stretch in December. The fact that they’ve been able to rebound from that and really take it, I like how we played at the end leading into the Olympic break. … Coming out of the break, I think there’s still another level we can get to.”
However, rather than taking a step forward, the Kraken took several steps back. From March 17 to April 16, the Kraken went 3-11-2 with just one regulation win against the Calgary Flames on April 11. After entering the stretch in the second wild card spot, Seattle finishes the year with the sixth-best odds to win the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
Post-Mortem: Three Reasons Why Kraken Failed Once Again in 2025-26
The 2025-2026 NHL regular season is now over. The Seattle Kraken failed to score a goal in their season finale, going out without much of a whimper, falling 2-0 to Vegas to bring another disappointing campaign to an end.
The Kraken finished 34-37-11, totaling 79 points. That ranks third among the five seasons in Seattle Kraken history. They fell three points shy of being the second-highest point total in franchise history. They also failed to have a winning season in Lane Lambert’s first year as head coach, finishing below .500 for the fourth time out of the five years, along with three straight years of sub-.500 hockey.
The Kraken have gone through three head coaches in five seasons. It appears as if Lambert will get a second year, barring an unexpected development.
So, what happened? Why did the Kraken fail to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season?
Kraken Stumble Early, Fall Short Late in 5-3 Home Finale Loss vs. Kings
Trailing 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, the Seattle Kraken fought to cut the deficit during the second period.
Both Kings goals came from forward Quinton Byfield beating Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren to the puck around the Los Angeles blue line and scoring on a breakaway, but Seattle hoped it would benefit from a similar bounce.
A Vince Dunn shot from the point was obstructed by a teammate and swept away at 5:16, and Berkly Catton went wide from the netfront off a centering pass nearly a minute later. Ryan Winterton also had a look from a tight angle at 6:51, but it would be the Kings that struck next at 7:13.
Alex Laferriere sent a shot wide off the end boards that barely slipped under Matty Beniers’ stick and straight to Trevor Moore in the left circle. Moore’s shot off the rebound beat Kraken goalie Nikke Kokko to make it 3-0.
The Kraken brought the game back within one goal twice during the third period, but ultimately fell 5-3 to close out their 2025-26 home slate. Eliminated from playoff contention, Seattle has two more road games this season.
Kraken Goalie Nikke Kokko ‘Comfortable’ in First NHL Start as Seattle Beats Flames Amid Elimination
The Seattle Kraken picked up a solid 4-1 win over the visiting Calgary Flames on Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena, winning their second straight game after a rough stretch.
Before the game, the Kraken learned they were mathematically eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention by virtue of the Kings’ win earlier Saturday.
Kokko’s Big Night
Both of Seattle’s main goalies, Joey Daccord and backup Philipp Grubauer, were out with lower-body injuries. Matt Murray is away from the team tending to a personal matter.
Kraken Snap Skid with Shootout Win Against Vegas
It looked like the same story.
The Vegas Golden Knights executed a 4-on-2 rush, finished off by Brett Howden just 1:11 into the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday to put the Seattle Kraken down 3-1.
After losing 10 of their past 11 games, including five straight in regulation entering Thursday, the Kraken’s playoff hopes are only alive in a minute mathematical sense. Crumbling down the stretch, unable to find the urgency needed to string together positive results, Seattle could only be expected to pack it in once again.
However, after Berkly Catton benefited from a fortuitous bounce to cut it to 3-2, Bobby McMann tied the game midway through the third period. The Kraken played through an eventful overtime period before Matty Beniers and Catton scored in the shootout to lift Seattle to a 4-3 win.
Major Domino Falls: Kraken and Ron Francis Part Ways as Franchise Seeks ‘New Direction’
Ron Francis will be stepping down as the Seattle Kraken’s president of hockey operations at the end of the 2025-26 regular season, which will conclude on April 16. The move was announced by the team on Wednesday, described as a mutual agreement between Francis and Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke.
It is not a firing, as both sides framed it as the right time for a “thoughtful transition” and a chance for the organization to “move in a new direction.”
Francis, 63, had been with the Kraken since July 2019 as the franchise’s very first general manager. He built the team from scratch, overseeing the expansion draft, hiring the first coach, setting up the AHL affiliate, and navigating the team launch amid the COVID era. He deserves credit for helping get this franchise off the ground.
Kraken Need a Shake-Up to End Era of Passive Mediocrity
The Seattle Kraken are in a tailspin. It seems their season is circling the drain, destined to sink to the bottom of the Pacific. At least metaphorically, as the Vancouver Canucks will finish in last place in the division.
MoneyPuck.com has the Kraken’s playoff chances, as of Sunday night, at 0.7%. They are all but eliminated. They had every opportunity to grab a spot in a historically bad Pacific Division and Western Conference. Yet they failed.
With the current Pacific Division leaders at 87 points with five games to play, this was a weak division. 87 points would be outside of a playoff spot altogether in the Eastern Conference. In short, the Kraken let a golden opportunity to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for just the second time in the franchise’s first five years slip away.
So, what now? Who is to blame?
Kraken Buried in ‘Unacceptable’ Loss to Blackhawks
The Seattle Kraken’s odds to make the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs were slim entering Saturday night’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
However, facing the team with the second-worst record in the league provided Seattle an opportunity to at least extend its hopes. The Kraken can’t control the other bubble team’s results, but they can control the effort and urgency required to put themselves in the best position possible.
Even then, there wasn’t enough on Saturday night. With a 4-2 loss to a bottom-feeding Blackhawks, the Kraken all but solidified their place among them.
“I would just use one word,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “I’m disappointed.”
Kraken the Ice: Have Kraken Become Calamari After Latest Deflating Loss to Mammoth?
While they still haven't been eliminated from playoff competition, the Kraken's chances continue to plummet by day as they suffered another devasting loss to the Mammoth.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee offers up an unofficial obituary to Seattle's playoff chances after the latest defeat, explains why the time is now to extend Bobby McMann as he continues to score points in bunches, and breaks down what fans should be watching for the remainder of the season with the playoffs being a long shot.
Kraken Blow Lead, Allow Six Unanswered in Critical Loss to Utah
SEATTLE, Wash. - Jacob Melanson was doing Jacob Melanson things.
Moments after beating out a potential icing for the Seattle Kraken, which faced the Utah Mammoth at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, the 22-year-old forward redirected a Ryan Lindgren shot past Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka to extend Seattle’s lead to 3-1 early in the second period.
That kind of high-motor, physical play getting instantly rewarded is just what a Kraken team fighting for a Western Conference wild card spot needs. Instead, it was instantly stripped away.
The Mammoth successfully challenged for goaltender interference, bringing the score back to 2-1. Utah tied it four minutes later, erasing its 2-0 deficit and scoring four more unanswered goals to secure a 6-2 win.
Kraken Maintaining a Pulse With Three Points in Florida
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin in three weeks. There’s an argument to be made that it’s the most exciting postseason in professional sports.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t just hockey, it’s a controlled detonation of chaos, pain tolerance, and pure will. Every shift feels like it weighs a pound more, every hit echoes through the arena a little more, and every goal is either ecstasy or heartbreak. The margins shrink until the game becomes survival. Legends are carved out in April through June. It’s hockey at its rawest, loudest, most unforgiving, and most beautiful state.
The big question is, will the Seattle Kraken get into that dance?
Kraken’s Jekyll-and-Hyde Play Continues to Plague Seattle
You know that friend or family member that spends several years in college, not knowing what they want to do when they graduate? They declare and undeclare major after major, switching career paths faster that Indiana Jones replacing the idol in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
That is the Seattle Kraken in 2025-2026. They cannot decide if they are playoff team or not. During certain stretches, they look like they can compete with anyone. They get back into a playoff spot and look like they will have postseason hockey in Seattle. Then, out of the blue, they look like a team playing hockey together for the first time in their lives.
Kraken Fall Back Into Bad Habits, Suffer 6-2 Loss to Lightning
It started with Jared McCann.
The Seattle Kraken forward said as much, referring to his turnover to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Gage Concalves on a hit along the boards that ultimately led to the latter giving his side a 1-0 lead just 5:45 into Tuesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena, but it didn’t end there.
Between Tampa’s relentless forecheck and a couple of crucial mistakes on Seattle’s end, the Lightning stormed to a 3-0 lead. The Kraken managed to cut it to 3-2 midway through the second period, but more mistakes doomed them to a 6-2 loss.
Bottom-Six Propels Kraken to Big Win Over Panthers
After snapping their four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks, the Seattle Kraken’s new-look top line and trade deadline acquisition Bobby McMann’s three-point debut stole the show. Less than 24 hours later, it was the Kraken bottom-six that powered Seattle to a back-to-back sweep with a 6-2 win against the Florida Panthers at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday.
With two goals each from the third- and fourth-line, the Kraken displayed the top-to-bottom production they’ll need if they want to hold down a spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, which they reclaimed after San Jose lost 7-4 to Ottawa on Sunday.
“We need everybody,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “That’s the way it’s going to be, and certainly we need everybody and needed everybody on a second night of a back-to-back with a rested team here waiting for us, and Joey (Daccord) played well right off the start, and then our fourth line stepped up and got us going with some energy … so huge for us, but we’re a four-line hockey team, and that’s what we need out of them.”
Kraken the Ice: How Can Bobby McMann Help Struggling Seattle Squad?
Dropping a fourth straight game, the Kraken once again were undone by what coach Lane Lambert called "mind-boggling" errors in a 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee dives deep into Seattle's ongoing struggles since returning from the Olympic break, examines how Bobby McMann can help the Kraken right the ship when he finally get his irrigation paperwork cleared, and takes a look at what's on deck as Seattle enters a crucial point in the schedule.
ALL SEATTLE SPORTS, ALL THE TIME
Explore our latest Seattle sports content by clicking on your favorite team(s) below!
